In the past I've been quite precious over my 'space' to go climbing. Guys I've gone out with - if they didn't climb, I didn't want to teach them or have them come climbing with me. That was my space, my time, with my climbing buddies. My current partner has been climbing for over 20 years and I love climbing with him. The only 'problem' I have is that because I am fairly new to climbing I'm still keen to get out every spare moment and push it. He is a little more laid back about it, even though he still enjoys it so I have found that my climbing has dropped back a little...grrr....

With all the other stuff that we don't get to do together (our working days), I like climbing with my wife as it is actually "our" time. Interesting to see the very understandable contrast to other people.

I introduced my partner to climbing when we first started going out. 19 years later, we still climb together. I can't imagine sharing my life with someone who doesn't share my passions. That's the up side.

The down side is, barking orders at your lover is not generally that well accepted, and managing (or rather, failing to manage) their "feelings" when you want direct and responsive action can lead to tensions that are not present when climbing with someone else.

I met my partner climbing and since then the majority of our holidays/time away has been climbing at Araps.
I love that time and that shared passion.
We do differ though, I have a tendency to want to climb at my limits and she doesn't.

Wow, no votes for the "we don't climb together"
I remember a friend of ours brought her boyfriend to Araps last NYE - and she was really keen to try some climbing, but he wasn't into trad climbing, so took her bouldering and then they left the next morning. It was a very interesting scenario, particularly since, as a sport climber, he climbed a lot harder than most of us.

Real shame for his girlfriend to miss out on a guided trip up Eskimo Nell though.

I'd throw a vote in there for "ex girl climbs, and climbing is a desirable trait in future girls too".
Climbing is a big enough part of my life that I need to have a girl who wants to share that with me, otherwise we wouldn't spend enough time together.

My wife and I climb a bit together. We get out together less often now we have a kid, unfortunately. Our best weekend's climbing together was probably also the last multipitch climbing we did as a couple - in Yosemite when she was ~2 weeks pregnant.

I've been stuck in the middle of some friends' messy breakup that was probably exacerbated by the fact they also climbed together. The guy insisted that the climbing relationship should be "exclusive"; she didn't take too kindly to this and pointedly continued climbing with others (myself included). It didn't end nicely.

On 18/10/2010 Ben_E wrote:>>I've been stuck in the middle of some friends' messy breakup that was>probably exacerbated by the fact they also climbed together. The guy insisted>that the climbing relationship should be "exclusive"; she didn't take too>kindly to this and pointedly continued climbing with others (myself included).>It didn't end nicely.

Sound like the problem was less climbing together and more that he was a possessive fruitloop. Perhaps someone should warn Anthony I will be destroying the sanctity of our relationship with a fivesome at the mount tomorrow?